Job tasks, potential exposures, and health risks of laborers employed in the construction industry

Details

• Personal Author:
  Burkhart G ; Ringen K ; Robinson C ; Schulte, Paul A. ; Sieber, W. Karl ; Vossenas P
• Description:
  Potential exposures and health risks of unskilled construction workers (construction laborers) were analyzed. English language articles contained within the databases Toxline, Medline, HSEline, a database maintained by the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive, and the NIOSHTIC database were searched to characterize the job tasks, exposures, and health risks of construction laborers. Mortality data from California and Washington State which code occupation on their death certificates, mortality data collected from death certificates for 876,731 decedents in 19 states which were supplied to NIOSH, national fatality statistics, cancer registry data, and case reports of specific causes of morbidity were also utilized. The findings were compared with those in a NIOSH job exposure matrix developed from data collected by the National Occupational Exposure Survey. Health risks were evaluated by computing proportionate or standardized mortality ratios or morbidity ratios for various causes. The four most frequent occupational exposures, with at least 100,000 workers being exposed, were diesel fuel combustion products, segmental vibrations, calcium- carbonate (471341), and noise. Approximately 23,000 workers were exposed to lead (7439921) and 14,000 to asbestos (1332214). Clearly elevated risks for mesothelioma, traumatic injuries, acute lead poisoning, musculoskeletal disorders, noise induced hearing loss, and dermatitis could be established. Elevated risks were also found for total mortality, cirrhosis, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), and leukemia; however, it could not be determined to what extent these were occupationally related. The authors conclude that construction laborers have definite increased risks for mesothelioma, traumatic injury, lead poisoning, musculoskeletal disorders, and dermatitis. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Epidemiology Mortality Occupational Diseases Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Laborer Black Mortality Construction Construction-workers Eczema Fatal Injuries Hauler Information-systems Mortality-data National Occupational Mortality Surveillance NIOSH-Author No-collar Workers Noise NOMS Occupational-diseases Occupational Hazards OSHA Exemptions Risk-analysis Sand Hog Statistical-analysis Unskilled Trades

  More +
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; District of Columbia ; Maryland ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  413-425
• Volume:
  24
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00216523
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 1993 Oct; 24(4):413-425
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr. P.A. Schulte, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway, MS-R42, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4) ; Calcium carbonate (CAS RN 471-34-1) ; Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:43ccea7fb86d653fede22f86fea4414f37aacfde40984e485d84f4b93508c49abf802e7b412a7e62c7f4f61e9d2b4576ecc8fc6ccb65e5d9fab801bdd4a9096f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204998/cdc_204998_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 997.50 KB ]